Republicans stop repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell”

A senate filibuster yesterday stalled a vote on a broad defence bill that included ending the military’s policy on gay soldiers.

The National Defense Authorization Act is a bill that comes up regularly in the U.S. Senate. It authorizes military spending and generally passes with bipartisan support. But the version of the bill presented yesterday contained a provision to repeal the military’s policy banning openly gay Americans from serving in the armed forces, and it stalled four votes short of passing thanks to Republican opposition. Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have come out in favour of repealing the policy, but critics say the president hasn’t done enough to rally the political support needed to do so. This month a California judge found that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule is unconstitutional.